New build - Right hand reverse strat

Z

Zhaggy

New member
Hey all.

Long story short, I started a 2 year guitar building school. Most notably everyone that works for http://www.ruokangas.com/ and http://www.amfisound.fi/ have graduated from here and virtually every guitar builder or repairer has either studied and/or taught here. During our first year we're going to build a strat or a tele, and a Les Paul and an acoustic guitar. In my case I've started on my strat.

Here are the specs (they may change along the way abit)

Right hand reverse strat, so a left handed body but the pickguard, controls and pickup routes are as in a right handed model.
Alder body
Maple neck (I may do some sort of 3-piece thing with a laminate wood or just a one-piece)
Reverse 70's big strat headstock
Rosewood fingerboard (I may do Ebony if I can get a piece)
21 Dunlop 6000 frets (so über jumbo)
Bone nut
2-way truss rod
Chrome hardware
Gotoh GTC-101 fixed strat bridge
Schaller M6 locking tuners
Schaller strap locks
SD Screamin' Demon trembucker in hte bridge
SD STK-S2b Hot Stack bridge pickup in the neck (I may put Dmz Virtual Solo instead)
500k master volume and master tone.
3-way blade switch
White/black/white pickguard

Most likely not going to put any inlays on the fretboard or put some green abalone dots on the 12 fret only or sometihng similarily minimalistic
I'd like to leave the body natural. Gloss lacquer or maybe satin. Might even go Nuno route and leave all natural.

Here are the templates/jigs I made and will use. They are rough copies from my 2010 Yngwie strat.
012.jpg

Here is the body I routed today.
019.jpg

I try to update as I go.

Opinions, hints, anything?
 
Last edited:
Re: New build - Right hand reverse strat

Slightly darker stain, maple fretboard. Black hardware.
 
Re: New build - Right hand reverse strat

Zhaggy said:
Hey all.

Long story short, I started a 2 year guitar building school. Most notably everyone that works for http://www.ruokangas.com/ and http://www.amfisound.fi/ have graduated from here and virtually every guitar builder or repairer has either studied and/or taught here. During our first year we're going to build a strat or a tele, and a Les Paul and an acoustic guitar. In my case I've started on my strat.

Here are the specs (they may change along the way abit)

Right hand reverse strat, so a left handed body but the pickguard, controls and pickup routes are as in a right handed model.
Alder body
Maple neck (I may do some sort of 3-piece thing with a laminate wood or just a one-piece)
Reverse 70's big strat headstock
Rosewood fingerboard (I may do Ebony if I can get a piece)
21 Dunlop 6000 frets (so über jumbo)
Bone nut
2-way truss rod
Chrome hardware
Gotoh GTC-101 fixed strat bridge
Schaller M6 locking tuners
Schaller strap locks
SD Screamin' Demon trembucker in hte bridge
SD STK-S2b Hot Stack bridge pickup in the neck (I may put Dmz Virtual Solo instead)
500k master volume and master tone.
3-way blade switch
White/black/white pickguard

Most likely not going to put any inlays on the fretboard or put some green abalone dots on the 12 fret only or sometihng similarily minimalistic
I'd like to leave the body natural. Gloss lacquer or maybe satin. Might even go Nuno route and leave all natural.

Here are the templates/jigs I made and will use. They are rough copies from my 2010 Yngwie strat.
View attachment 66163

Here is the body I routed today.
View attachment 66164

I try to update as I go.

Opinions, hints, anything?
Click to expand...

Great to read there are people able to do what I am sure many of us would want to do in this lifetime. Congratz and keep us in the loop especially when learning about what the pros say about wood and pups and necks and other tips. Good luck....and glad you chose a strat!
 
Re: New build - Right hand reverse strat

killer

that is absolutely something I want to do, I've had a couple of lefties I've flipped in my life but that is the way to do it.

Look forward to seeing how you make out
 
Re: New build - Right hand reverse strat

Diminished Triad said:
Congratz and keep us in the loop especially when learning about what the pros say about wood and pups and necks and other tips.
Click to expand...

Oh I got some things to tell that might or might not surprise you that our teacher thinks about stuff. But that's for another time.

I might even show what the others are doing as well. Few strats, few more teles, including a thinline and jaguar/jazzmaster on the way as well.

Nothing too crazy yet but things might get interesting when we get to the Les Pauls. I'm thinking of doing a PRS prism/rainbow finish on a flame maple or birch top if I find the right colors/dyes but that's few month into the future.
 
Re: New build - Right hand reverse strat

treyhaislip said:
I very much believe that! ;)

I thought you were going to say his project was "cute" or something as it is more traditional than your approach to builds ;)
Click to expand...

No way dude i respect the quiality of work being done here. Look way better than the **** i pull out my ass. haha
 
Re: New build - Right hand reverse strat

Here is something I got done today. Rounded the body sides and roughly shaped the belly and arm contours. Just oredered an ebony fretboard, will show it when I get it.

Our dust removal system got jammed so now every machine is spitting dust so for at least a day or two we can't use'em.
021.jpg
0111.jpg
 
Re: New build - Right hand reverse strat

kramersteen said:
So cool. I would love to do that.

Whats your favorite part so far?
Click to expand...

Well I just love working with wood. It's almost therapeutic at times. Another good thing is that there really isn't any magic to it. Of course you have to be accurate, make sure lines are straight and keep hold of the center line on the body and neck and after that every thing will fit. You don't have to be super gifted for this. There are people here that have barely used any of the wood working tools/machines and they can do it too, which is nice. FYI over 80 people applied to this palce and 17 got in through a few tests and interviews.

The teaching isn't very intensive. The teacher shows us a step or two in 10 minutes and we spend the rest of the day doing it and learning from each other as we go. I might like a little more teaching on his part and less quessing on our part but it seems to have worked so far.
 
Re: New build - Right hand reverse strat

Dig it!
Love my re-strung Lefty(Fender MIJ)!
Looking forward to the progress!
Gonna be string-thru?

:headbang:

:D
 
Re: New build - Right hand reverse strat

Rand-O-Monium said:
Dig it!
Love my re-strung Lefty(Fender MIJ)!
Looking forward to the progress!
Gonna be string-thru?
Click to expand...

Yes it's a string-through. Here's a pitcure of the birdge and the Schaller locking tuner. Why fixed bridge on a strat? I'm not the biggest fan of the vintage tremolo. I have one in my Yngiwe strat and I can manage but I'm more of a Floyd Rose guy. And I'd much rather have a fixed bridge than a tremolo I can't quite keep in tune. It does have the narrower string spacing which I'd rather have had the wider but it's not a huge deal-breaker. I know on a fixed bridge you don't really need locking tuners. Well it does help when changing strings, goes much faster. But I've always wanted to try those. On my 16 years of playing, owning 15 guitars and made a couple, this is the first time I've ever used them. Well technically I haven't used them yet as the guitar is not ready. And I like how they look.
014.jpg
 
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